Products

THE INTERIOR OF THE EARTH

Product Details

Product Number:
16438

Scale:
NO SCALE

Alternate ID:
93-0200

ISBN:
978-0-607-72972-6

Authors:
BY EUGENE C. ROBERTSON

Version Date:
01/01/1994

Media:
Paper

Additional Details

Description:
Three centuries ago, the English scientist Isaac Newton calculated, from his studies of planets and the force of gravity, that the average density of the Earth is twice that of surface rocks and therefore that the Earth's interior must be composed of much denser material. Our knowledge of what's inside the Earth has improved immensely since Newton's time, but his estimate of the density remains essentially unchanged. Our current information comes from studies of the paths and characteristics of earthquake waves travelling through the Earth, as well as from laboratory experiments on surface minerals and rocks at high pressure and temperature. Other important data on the Earth's interior come from geological observation of surface rocks and studies of the Earth's motions in the Solar System, its gravity and magnetic fields, and the flow of heat from inside the Earth. Available online at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/interior/